Miscellaneous Reserve/Youth News

Apparently we've agreed a deal to sign Spain u16 midfielder Arnau Puigmal who won player of the tournament at the Mic Cup which our u16s played in a few weeks ago

http://sportwitness.co.uk/man-unite...der-strong-mourinho-addition-impressed-barca/

Catalan newspaper Sport run with a headline on Friday saying ‘Mourinho takes a ‘pearl’ of Espanyol’.

It’s claimed Manchester United have agreed a deal to sign Arnau Puigmal, who is part of Espanyol’s youth system. Born in 2001, Puigmal is described as one of the greatest hopes of the Espanyol quarry, so losing the player to Manchester United is something of a blow.

Sport believe there’s a willingness at Old Trafford to strengthen the club’s youth ranks, spurred on by rivals Manchester City working hard to recruit some of the best young footballers around.

Puigmal is described as being a very physical midfielder, versatile, and having a good eye for goal. He recently scored against a Barcelona youth side, and impressed during the MIC tournament.

That tournament was held in Spain last month, and Manchester United sent a team to compete. As the club’s youngsters were impressing on the pitch, it seems Mourinho’s scouts were at work, and Sport point out that Puigmal was named the MIC’s MVP.

Manchester United have upped their scouting around the world since Sir Alex Ferguson left the club. All of David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, and Jose Mourinho encouraged extra work to pinpoint the best talents around the world.

The past season has seen Manchester United scouting at perhaps unprecedented levels, and Arnau Puigmal’s signing would look to be a result of those increased efforts.
 
So the second spanish player we're signing this season? After Puigmal.
 
KM said:
So the second spanish player we're signing this season? After Puigmal.
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Yeah both capped by Spain at U16s level as well. Hopefully as talented as City's Brahim. Looks like another heavy-top squad next season though.
 
khoazany said:
Yeah both capped by Spain at U16s level as well. Hopefully as talented as City's Brahim. Looks like another heavy-top squad next season though.
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Is it done then?
 
I think our club is moving in the right direction signing young talents at an early age and if we can get a good U23 manager we will have atleast couple of players coming through the academy.
 
Carrick warming up for new role
It’s understood United are hopeful Carrick will start to help with the development of the club’s junior players as he continues to gear up for a coaching career after he retires.

Carrick has already begun taking his coaching badges and extending his stay at United beyond his playing career and it was noticeable he was guiding 16-year-old Angel Gomes during the warm-up against Crystal Palace.

By Samuel Luckhurst
 
RedMachine03 said:
Carrick warming up for new role
It’s understood United are hopeful Carrick will start to help with the development of the club’s junior players as he continues to gear up for a coaching career after he retires.

Carrick has already begun taking his coaching badges and extending his stay at United beyond his playing career and it was noticeable he was guiding 16-year-old Angel Gomes during the warm-up against Crystal Palace.

By Samuel Luckhurst
Click to expand...


It was noticeable that during the game against Crystal Palace he kept looking for Gomes and passing him the ball
 
RedMachine03 said:
Carrick warming up for new role
It’s understood United are hopeful Carrick will start to help with the development of the club’s junior players as he continues to gear up for a coaching career after he retires.

Carrick has already begun taking his coaching badges and extending his stay at United beyond his playing career and it was noticeable he was guiding 16-year-old Angel Gomes during the warm-up against Crystal Palace.

By Samuel Luckhurst
Click to expand...
He's already done some coaching with our younger academy teams
 
Michael Carrick to be our new u23 manager :smirk:? Lol maybe one day but Im sure once he has the right qualifications to work up towards that maybe start by coaching the kids first.

I would love our club to mirror the way Ajax is with former players littered throughout the organisation.
 
Wow with all the competition for signing players in the UK, if Brexit stops us from signing top talents at a young age from around Europe we might fall further behind other academies around Europe.
 
Anyone with a bit more knowledge on the youth/reserves know why there's a headline interview with Zak Dearnley on the Man Utd website at the moment? I know they sometimes interview reserve players but this seems a bit more in-depth than normal and not sure whether he's a great secret hope or something.
 
We need an rvn said:
Anyone with a bit more knowledge on the youth/reserves know why there's a headline interview with Zak Dearnley on the Man Utd website at the moment? I know they sometimes interview reserve players but this seems a bit more in-depth than normal and not sure whether he's a great secret hope or something.
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Probably because he's one of those that will have a shot on featuring on pre-season.
 
Manchester United Under-18s coach Kieran McKenna believes the standard of youth football in England compares favourably to anywhere else in Europe.

Citing the draw with Manchester City in early December as a perfect illustration of his point, McKenna feels the level being reached can match anything on the continent.

United ultimately finished fourth in the top division after an entertaining campaign and the former Tottenham youth coach believes the challenge is to provide appropriate steps for youngsters when they move up from the Academy league.

"I think there are a lot of things in this country we’re doing right in Academy football," McKenna told Inside United during an in-depth review of the campaign. "I think the standard of games is really high and we’ve had some terrific games this year.

"After the derby with Manchester City here [at the Aon Training Complex] before Christmas, the 2-2 draw, a lot of coaches at national level said to me it was the best game of Under-18 football they’d seen this season – and in quite a few other seasons as well. I thought it was two really good sides going toe to toe and everything you want to see in a high-level youth game.

"I’d say the ones against City, Chelsea and some of the games with Liverpool have been probably as high a level of games as Real Madrid versus Barcelona or Bayern Munich versus Borussia Dortmund – or any game you might have in Europe at that level.

"I think there are a lot of good things in the Academy system but I feel the biggest challenge is still what comes at the next step when they leave the youth team and when they progress. How do we get them opportunities to play competitive football?

"Whether that will be with first teams, on loan, in the Under-23s, I think that next step of the pathway is something everyone in youth development is looking at and trying to refine to make sure some of the good work going through the Academies ends with the players at the end of it getting the right opportunities at the right times."

Read more from the interview with Kieran McKenna in the new edition of Inside United, out now.
 
Other than Zlatan, these are the other players who I think were not on our retain list:
Tom Sang
Faustin Makela
Max Dunne
Kayne Diedrick-Roberts
 
Sid234 said:
Other than Zlatan, these are the other players who I think were not on our retain list:
Tom Sang
Faustin Makela
Max Dunne
Kayne Diedrick-Roberts
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Sang has been on a school contract, so he wouldn't be on the list anyway.
Max Dunne is on the list, so he is staying.
 
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An 2006 team played in Murapol Cup in Poland today, finished 2nd in the group stage, will play in the quarter final against host AP21 tomorrow.
 
Arnau Puigmal just put this on his Instagram with a Espanyol shirt signed by all his teammates:
Thank you so much family for everything. I'm going to miss you so much
 
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